It seems Oklahoma has added reinforcements within the backfield.
In a shocking and surprising flip of occasions, Washington switch operating again Emeka Megwa has apparently enrolled at OU. After a brief stint in Seattle, Megwa will likely be a redshirt freshman in Norman.
Megwa, an elite recruit from Keller, TX, was a 4-star operating again in response to 247 Sports activities. His school checklist was spectacular, together with presents from the likes of Alabama, Notre Dame, Georgia and Ohio State. The Sooners initially supplied Megwa, however got here up empty as he went to UW.
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As an alternative of ready to enroll in January 2022, Megwa determined to hitch the Huskies early in September 2021. He was on Washington’s roster final season, however didn’t see any area time after opting to redshirt. Megwa left the staff this summer time, getting into the switch portal on Aug. 2, and has been on the lookout for a brand new residence ever since.
Megwa is a robust, bodily runner that appears the half at 6-foot, 215 kilos. In 2020, his final highschool season, Megwa rushed for 730 yards and 12 touchdowns on simply 133 carries.
Oklahoma at present options two veteran operating backs in Marcus Main and Eric Grey, however outdoors of that, the room is comparatively younger. Each Gavin Sawchuk and Jovantae Barnes have a repute for breakaway pace and move catching skills, and junior school switch Tawee Walker and UCF switch Bentavious Thompson are technically walk-ons, so including a possible bruiser in Megwa is simply what the Sooners want sooner or later. He’s not instantly eligible for this season as a result of he didn’t enter the portal earlier than the Could 1 deadline.
Megwa, who additionally performed linebacker in highschool, was the nation’s No. 24-ranked athlete as a recruit, in response to the 247 Sports activities Composite. It is unclear which place he would favor, though he was a operating again at Washington.
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His position on the sphere instantly could also be minimal, however as Megwa progresses and learns the system, he might be a strong addition for the Sooners.
Not counting New Mexico, Washington State’s 2024 foes went 3-6 last weekend.
Portland State: Loss at Montana (FCS) 28-17
The Vikings gave Big Sky foe Montana a hefty push on the road but didn’t have enough to pull off an upset over the FCS’ #10 ranked Grizzlies. In game that featured an odd power outage, PSU managed to hold a lead well into the third quarter. Despite that and holding the ball for nearly 40 minutes, the Viks fell short thanks in large part to five turnovers. Now at 2-8 on the season, there isn’t much besides pride left to play for with one game to go.
Texas Tech: No Game
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The Red Raiders did not play in Week 12.
Washington: Win vs. UCLA 31-19
The Huskies clinched bowl eligibility Friday evening, taking down UCLA at home. UW made a quarterback change after Will Rogers threw a pair of interceptions and replaced him with freshman Demond Williams. Williams proceeded to complete seven of eight pass attempts, throw a touchdown and run for 31 yards down the stretch in Washington’s 12-point win. Jonah Coleman ran for 95 yards and a score while the defense forced two turnovers. The Huskies draw even at 4-4 in Big Ten play and have just one game left this regular season.
San Jose State: Loss vs. Boise State 42-21
The Spartans put #13 Boise State on upset alert early on, taking a 14-0 lead early in the second frame, but the Broncos rallied back in a big way. SJSU’s defense… as most have… struggled to contain Ashton Jeanty and surrendered over 450 total yards to Boise State offense. Walker Eget had a roller coaster of a night, throwing three touchdowns but turning the ball over just as many times. Both Nick Nash and Justin Loackhart went off with each hauling in at least nine balls and going for well over 100 yards receiving. It was all for naught, however, as the Spartans lost by three scores. San Jose State is now 6-4.
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Boise State: Win at San Jose State 42-21
#13 Boise State had to stage a bit of a comeback to get by San Jose State on Saturday night but by the end the Broncos walked out of California with a comfortable three-touchdown victory. Ashton Jeanty’s Heisman campaign rolled on as he ran for 159 more yards and three more scores. Maddux Madsen completed 22-of-30 passes for 286 yards and a score as well. Now at 9-1 overall and 6-0 in conference action, BSU is making a serious push for a College Football Playoff bid and seems well on its way to a postseason run.
Fresno State: No Game
The Bulldogs took the week off.
Hawaii: Loss at Utah State 55-10
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It was a forgettable night in Logan for the Rainbow Warriors. Brayden Schager threw three interceptions and no touchdowns while backup John-Keawe Sagapolutele tossed another two. Neither QB had a touchdown throw. Landon Sims finished as Hawaii’s leading rusher with just 28 yards and in total the team was flagged 12 times costing them 80 yards. It was arguably the ugliest loss of the Rainbow Warriors season so far and they dip to 4-7. With just one regular season game left Hawaii cannot clinch bowl eligibility.
San Diego State: Loss at UNLV 41-20
The Aztecs could not get much going against UNLV on Saturday. Danny O’Neil threw a pair of picks and the defense allowed over 500 yards. By halftime San Diego State was down 28-6 and it never really got better from there. Marquez Cooper did run for 97 yards but he was held out of the end zone and he was one of only two ball carriers to tote it for the Aztecs. The loss is now SDSU’s seventh of the season.
Utah State: Win vs. Hawaii 55-10
Utah State’s offense, which has struggled for much of the season, finally saw the explosion its been waiting for all year against Hawaii. The Aggies put up 580 total yards, 27 first downs, and seven touchdowns as they cruised by the Rainbow Warriors. Quarterback Spencer Petras threw for 255 yards and his backup, Bryson Barnes, only attempted two throws, both of which went for TDs. Rahsul Faison ran for season-best 191 yards and two scores as well. The USU defense picked off five passes and logged seven sacks to help them get their third victory of the season.
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New Mexico: Win vs. Washington State 38-35
In a bit of a stunner in Albuquerque, New Mexico outshot Washington State, winning by three in the final seconds as Devon Dampier ran in for a game-sealing touchdown. After falling behind 28-14 at halftime, Dampier and company began to stage a rally. He and Eli Sanders each notched rushing TDs to tie things up. Dampier would score his game-winner after WSU took the lead back late. Dampier totaled four touchdowns and over 300 yards on his own. The Lobos are now one win away from hitting bowl eligibility after starting their season 0-4.
Oregon State: Loss at Air Force 28-0
The Beavers season hit a new low on Saturday as they got blanked by Air Force. Ben Gulbranson was unable to play and neither Gevani McCoy nor Gabarri Johnson could muster anything up in his place. As a team Oregon State managed just 175 total yards and the defense was on the field entirely too long. The Falcons had possession for over 41 minutes and ran up 410 total yards. It is now five straight losses for the Beavs who will see Washington State this weekend.
Wyoming: Loss at Colorado State 24-10
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Whatever high Wyoming may have been riding after last week’s win over New Mexico was promptly squashed on Friday night in Fort Collins. The Cowboys fell by two touchdowns to the Rams in a sluggish effort. Kaden Anderson completed just 13-of-30 pass attempts as the offense picked up a mere nine first downs all night. The defense gave up a pair of first quarter TDs that ended up being the difference while allowing CSU’s offense to put up 446 total yards. If there were any positives to take away for Wyoming it was that they didn’t turn the ball over and they were only flagged four times. Still, the Pokes fall to 2-8 on the year.
More Reading Material From Washington State Cougars On SI
RECAP: #18 Washington State Cougars Upset By New Mexico in Albuquerque 38-35
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Denzel Washington Discusses US Politics Manipulation
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Denzel Washington shared a harsh truth about the current political climate in the United States.
In Gladiator II, Denzel portrays Macrinus, an enslaved man turned enslaver who craves political power and control.
In an interview with the Sunday Times, Denzel was asked about one specific line, “Empires fall, so do emperors,” and he provided a timely response that speaks to the current US political landscape given the 2024 presidential election.
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“You know, it’s so easy to stand outside America and say this and that,” Denzel said.
“Turn around, you know? Pick a country. Any one,” he said, referring to the George Herbert phrase that suggests, “People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”
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“But listen,” Denzel continued. “It’s all politics. All promises unkept. And now with the information age the way it is — if anything — left, right, whatever had better learn how to use those tools to manipulate the people.”
“There was a great line in the first movie I did, Carbon Copy: ‘Power to the people? Yeah, they had it once — it was called the Stone Age.’”
“We’re all slaves to information now. We really are. We’re all slaves. So whatever you feel about the leaders, like this guy’s crazy or the other one is sane, you’d better realize you’re being manipulated by both sides. Period,” Denzel added. “Yeah. So go to the movies.”
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Denzel has a way with words on and off the screen — so if you have a favorite performance of his that you find yourself always quoting, share it in the comments!
Through three quarters of Thursday night’s contest between the Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles the road team was in relative control of the game.
Leading 10-6 entering the fourth quarter the Commanders’ offense certainly wasn’t clicking on all cylinders, but the defense was doing enough to keep the Eagles’ attack at bay.
The time for Washington to take advantage of that defensive performance never came, however, and eventually Philadelphia broke through for three fourth-quarter rushing touchdowns. Anyone can see that’s where the game turned, but it’s the presence of that rushing attack in the first place that former NFL player Chris Long says is what separates the two teams sitting atop the NFC East Division.
Nov 14, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs past Washington Commanders defenders on way to a 39-yard touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Washington Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
“I think in a game where both quarterbacks don’t play well, one team had a life jacket,” Long said on his Green Light with Chris Long (Yote House Media) program. “Honestly, that’s the way I think about it. When things aren’t going right – you’re a fisherman – you always have your PFD (personal flotation device) on your vessel. The PFD in this situation is the Eagles’ front and it’s Saquon Barkley. And in games like this, it goes a long way. And that’s what I thought was going to happen. I thought this was a spot where the Eagles would impose their will early and often, but it just took more time.”
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To Long’s point, the Commanders’ defense held Barkley to just 56 yards on 15 carries in the first half. In the second, Barkley ran the ball 11 more times and ripped off 90 yards and two touchdowns. He gained 62 of those yards on the two touchdown runs.
Meanwhile, Washington went the other direction and after averaging 6.3 yards per carry in the first half running back Brian Robinson Jr. finished with just a 3.9 yards per carry average for the game.
The shift in run game production was swift, and relied heavily on just two plays. But it was incredibly impactful, and is something we’ll surely be reminded of when the two teams face off again in what could be a pivotal contest in the NFC East Division race come December.
Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more FREE coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.
• Commanders RB Brian Robinson Jr. 4th in Team History to Reach Milestone
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• Commanders Players Share Thoughts on Fourth Down Decision vs. Eagles
• Commanders WR Terry McLaurin’s Honest Take on Lack of Offensive Execution
• Should Commanders Make Changes After Losing Streak?